Only a stupid person can be a team player.

We might be the best at what we do, but if we want to be a team, we need to do more than what we do to achieve the rewards we seek.

For example:

• I may be the best drummer in the world. But if I want to perform in a concert, I must be in a band.
• I could be the best backend engineer. But if I want to sell software, I also need a front end.
• I could be the best striker in the world. But if I want to win a championship, I need a team.

That means there will be certain parts of the work our team needs to accomplish that we are not good at and will never be. 

Now, if we tend not to look stupid, we will try to hide this fact. 

So, hiding this fact will become one of the jobs we must also accomplish. 

Not only is it a distraction from the team's objectives, but depending on how hell-bent we are on not looking stupid, this may turn into a fear that we have willingly planted in our heads.

That is totally illogical since it is a fact that we cannot achieve everything that a team does on our own. So, judging by the limited criteria, we will always come short.

Coupled with the fact that it also applies to everyone else on the team, this fear of looking stupid seems extra ridiculous because no one can judge us since everyone on the team lacks one quality or another.

So, accepting looking ridiculously stupid occasionally is an absolute necessity to create a functioning team. If team members fear looking foolish, it only means that we are not a team yet.

So, to make a good team, as much as we need a judgment-free environment where members are not afraid of making mistakes, we also need leaders who can show the team how to NOT avoid looking stupid. That means there should be people in the team who should look stupid and not care, so that others can learn how to overcome this fear.

Remember that being a good team is not only the responsibility of the named leaders. A good team starts with good individuals. Anyone can be a leader by taking a blow for the team.

So, in conclusion, Be stupid. That's the only way to make a good team and achieve the rewards we seek as a team.